So you want to be a Competitive CrossFit Athlete - are you sure..?

So you want to be a Competitive CrossFit Athlete - are you sure..?

14 January 2013

Being a competitive athlete is no joke. The following is not directed towards all the awesome members in all the boxes all across the world who are using CrossFit as it is, in my opinion, suppose to be used: as a FUN way of staying healthy and fit, and doing so while getting to be in touch with your inner competitive animal! No, this is directed towards you who have big dreams about competing at a big stage like the Regionals or even the CrossFit Games, some time in the near future, in a galaxy not too far away. If this is you, please put down that bucket of ice cream and assume the Bottom of the Squat while reading the following.

A great coach, Jami Tikkanen, (Annie Thorisdottir's personal coach), once told me: "To be a competitive CrossFit athlete you have to work as much as you play..". Where working on your recovery and mobility being work, and working out being play. Are you prepared to put in the work required? I see people every day coming in to the box half an hour before the class, sitting down and "socializing". Nothing wrong with this, but if you want to be competitive, (or simply moving as well as possible and staying away from injuries), here is a secret for you: Unless you are a Cro-Magnon, you can work on your performance AND talk at the same time.

You want to lift as much as possible while keeping your body fat percent low enough to monkey your way through any gymnastic skill required, right? What happens to your car if you don't fill up often enough? Or if you put diesel in a gasoline car? I don't have a clue, I drive a scooter, but I guess it wont go very fast in the corners.. Next secret: Your nutrition is worth at least a third of your results, due to being responsible for fuel and recovery. Treat it as such.

So you have reached the "Advanced Ninja Level" on our skill chart and now you are simply good enough to do our Advanced Classes and just dominate whatever you come across because the programming there is so hardcore that it will turn you into a superstar CrossFit athlete by just being there? Dreaming of Regionals and training less than 4-5 times per week and not giving it your very best every single day? Next... Third secret: Rome wasn't built in a day, but every damn day hard work got her closer to becoming an Empire.

Last point, and possibly the most important secret: Your attitude is everything. And more. Do you think the world record holder in any lift was telling him self before he got it: "Dude, this is sh#t heavy stuff, I can never do this.."? It really doesn't matter what the weight on the bar is, if you don't think you can't lift it, you wont. Next time you are attempting a PB lift, visualize it being done already in your head, and magically: high fives awaits! Also, the next time your favourite exercise to hate comes up in a WOD, you be damned if I hear you complaining about it. You have chosen to be in the box your self , and if you think about it most people actually don't have the luxury of working their asses of for "fun". Embrace the opportunity given to you and praise the universe you get to do burpees.

I really want to help anyone who desires to become a competitive athlete as much as I possibly can, so here is a little list of tools:

In the Advanced Programming you will from now on find a few Pre- and Post Workout Recommendations to improve your performance in the classes and speed up your recovery after the same. Use them.

[email protected] - book a skill session and I, (or any of the other coaches), will build you a nutrition plan in a day or two.

Find a meditative alternative activity. Hike, swim, climb a tree or do just about anything that takes you outside of the gym once in a while.

To be honest, using CrossFit to simply becoming a better human being with capacities beyond what you once thought was possible should be enough for most people. But, there are some of you nut cases out there who are just like me and can't help your self trying to take this to the highest level. For fame, to be able to get that hot chick you been staring at for months, to compare your self to the fittest athletes on earth, or like in my case: for the simple reason of seeing how good we can get. If you are one of these crazies, what are you waiting for? Get off the computer and couch stretch dammit! After you booked your next 5 classes obviously. Coach Chris